


City of Broken Things

by StarrieNightSky



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Serial Killers, Android and Human Relationships, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Gavin, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Connor is There to Help Him, Dad Hank, Dark Character, Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gavin has a cat, Gavin is Depressed and Angry, Gavin is Suicidal, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Organized Crime, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Connor, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smoking, happy ending not guaranteed, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-27 05:37:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15679086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrieNightSky/pseuds/StarrieNightSky
Summary: Gavin Reed's been in a lot of shitty situations, but nothing could have prepared him for this. After his next door neighbor is brutally murdered, the threat of a serial killer looms in the city of Detroit. Forced to work with Connor, Hank, and Chris to solve this mystery, the individuals find themselves in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who seems to love taunting their prey. To make matters worse, the killer seems to have an affinity for Gavin Reed himself...





	City of Broken Things

**Author's Note:**

> Oh. My. GOSH! I have started a brand new fic, for a ship I didn't expect to take a liking to so quickly! OMG, I'm so excited to get this story rolling! This fanfic was heavily inspired by a roleplay I partook in a discord server, so I'm so excited to build on that setup and see where it leads me! I'm not entirely sure how many chapters I want for this story, but for now it's clocking in at about 15 chapters. This is subject to change though, so expect more or less chapters as time goes on. First I'd like to thank Shootmewithasilverbullet for allowing me to use Gilbert in this story, who is Gavin's unofficial therapy cat OC. I'm super thankful I could use a great cat OC for this story since Gilbert is such an amazing cat <3\.   
> Everyone should go check out her stories, they are amazing! I'll add a link to her AO3 account here, 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shootmewithasilverbullet/pseuds/Shootmewithasilverbullet
> 
> Alright everyone, lets get this show on the road! ^-^

 

March 5th, 2039

7:57 PM

Linwood Drive

 

“Goddamnit!” A feminine voice whispers in a frustrated tone as she dug into her purse to look for the keys to her Toyota Corolla. By the looks of it, she’s not having the best of luck, especially when she notices her wallet is missing too. She must have left it back at the house. To think this morning, she had pretty much gotten her entire holiday planned to the T. Head home, visit her very doting parents, reunite with her crew of misfits (because honestly, who couldn’t keep in touch with these dorks?), and finally party until the sun rises at Terence’s Spring Break Formal.

 

Since the woman isn't stupid enough to get hammered during a "guns-blazing" sort of party, she was designated driver for her friend group. They were supposed to meet up back at the central plaza, but _of course_ , Sophie convinced the whole group to go to a casino of all places down by the Eden Club! The overworked female profoundly refused before heading to her car to drive back home.

 

But since her night wasn’t quite that bad, fate decided it needed to get worse. And wouldn’t you guess it? Car breaks down in the sketchiest neighborhood in Detroit. Yay.

 

“Aha! There you are, motherfucker!” The female says triumphantly as she holds the car keys in her hands. She had found a half-full gallon container of gas when she explored the alleyway to find some help. Unfortunately, she had to walk quite a ways to find it, so she thought for sure she was lost, but the girl was pleasantly surprised to find her car had been seemingly untouched. She filled the gas, and now all she needed to do was start the ignition.

 

A rustling sound startles the young adult when she’s about to open the door to the car. Goosebumps involuntarily form when she feels a sudden chill in the air. The young woman remembers two things at that moment. One, that this was Linwood Drive, the most dangerous street in the neighborhood. Two, she's completely alone.

 

Hurriedly, she unlocks the door and enters the car hastily. The woman pants nervously, checking her surroundings before trying to start the ignition.

 

Horror shoots through her expression when she realizes that her car won’t start. She tries the ignition again. And again.

 

Nothing.

 

Panic and fear seep to her core when she realizes she has nowhere to go, and all she can do is stay in her outdated Toyota Corolla until someone finds her. Frustrated, she does the sensible thing and calls 911 on her smartphone.

 

“911, what’s your emergency?” The operator’s voice asks tiredly.

 

“Hi, yes, this is Maria Rose, at Linwood Drive. My car broke down, and I can’t turn on the ignition. I think someone-MMMF!” Maria is cut off when a hand grabs her mouth and holds it shut, prompting the young woman to drop the smartphone on the bottom of the car floor. The phone is pushed back to the bottom of the seat, and the operator’s voice is drowned out by the sounds of a struggle.

 

Maria’s voice is muffled, but she can hear a dark, almost staticky chuckle radiate from the figure behind her. He forces her out of the car, and Maria could only guess who the individual was. The woman glares when she sees the figure pulled out a gun, refusing to go down without a fight.

 

She kicks him where the sun doesn’t shine, and that seems to startle her appraiser enough to get free. In a blind panic, Maria runs into the street where she could hopefully find help, but this entire area is a ghost town.

 

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

Two gunshots pierce both the girl’s legs, prompting blood to seep out of her wounds. She howls in pain when she’s on the hard concrete floor of the street, shuddering at the adrenaline rush coursing through her veins. From her line of vision, she can see the aggressor walk towards her, as if stalking prey after a successful hunt.

 

“N-No, please, don’t do this..!” She begs weakly, tears spilling from her eyes when she sees him wield a type of sharp object. Why won’t he just kill her..?

 

The girl gets her answer when she finally gets a closer look at him, and her eyes widen in pure shock when she sees whom it is.

 

“Y-You’re..!”

 

“Shhhh... It’s okay. It will be over soon, Maria Rose,” a soothing voice whispers. A maniacal grin graces the individual’s face as he caresses her cheek with his hand, in a mock attempt to be comforting.

 

He takes out his knife, and starts dragging it along her cheek and jugular…

 

Blood starts oozing out of her cuts, and she finds it hard to _breathe._

 

“No wait, _PLEASEDON’T!!”_

 

Her world goes dark.

 

* * *

 

March 7th, 2039

6:23 AM

Chene St. Apartments

 

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

 

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

 

The sound of a cheap alarm clock goes off next to the sleeping man’s figure. The constant beeping noise causes said male to grab his pillow and shove it on top of his head, a telltale sign of trying to beat the clock. His action does very little to drown out the noise, and eventually, the man heaves an annoyed and frustrated sigh when a cat-sized figure lands on his bed.

 

“Fuckin’ hell Gil…” Gavin mutters when the cat starts kneading at his chest, purring loudly. Gilbert, the gruff man’s unofficial emotional support cat, meows loudly, and motions to his empty cat bowl.

 

The detective’s eyes widen in realization when he sees Gilbert notion to his cat food bowl. “Oh shit, Gil I forgot to feed ya last night, huh? Sorry, bud, I had overtime,” Gavin apologizes lamely as he gets up to put on his oversized panda slippers. The man pets Gilbert’s soft fur, and the cat bunts his head in response. Gilbert must be in a good mood because usually, the menace would have clawed at him for forgetting to feed him. Gavin guesses it’s probably because the cat senses his stress.

 

Gavin settles into his morning routine in his somewhat barren apartment. He takes a shower for the first time in three days, making sure to shave as well. The man drags the men’s razor across his chin, and in his tendency to rush, cuts himself accidentally.

 

“Fuck!” Gavin screams, blood dripping from the wound. Gavin quickly cleans the wound and puts on a white bandage from his handy first aid kit. The man grumbles something about looking ridiculous but quickly dismisses the mirror to go change.

 

After he’s done showering, he gets dressed and does something he’s been looking forward to all day: putting on a fresh pair of underwear. Gavin throws on a black T-shirt, shoes, and his famous leather jacket.

 

As he’s throwing on the skinny jeans to compliment the look, his iPhone starts ringing from his nightstand. Gavin nearly trips when he walks to grab the phone, but before his face slams on the floor, he grabs the smartphone and answers,

 

“The fuck you want, Fowler?” Gavin deadpans,

 

“Gavin motherfuckin’ Reed, I’ve been calling you FOR TWENTY MINUTES! Stop whatever the FUCK you’re doin’ and get your stupid ass here! My own ass is being bombarded with journalists and reporters and I need you to address a current case!”

 

Gavin sighs as the man spills his curse words. He’s not in the mood to argue with his boss. “Shit, fuck- Okay can you calm the fuck down?! I’ll be there, just, what case is this?!” He asks in a frustrated tone,

 

“A college student was murdered this Saturday, and her body was found this morning in one of the android graveyards. I’ll give you more details, but I need you to report to the crime scene, ASAP. Don’t be late, Reed!” With that coarse statement, the Captain hangs up rudely, causing Gavin to groan in anger.

 

“Why the fuck is he always like this?! Goddamnit, I can’t catch a fucking break!” Gavin rants to no one in particular and finishes putting on his jeans.

 

Gilbert meows loudly beside his food bowl, still begging for food. Gavin wants to slap himself.

 

Cat.

Hungry.

Human stoopid.

 

The detective quickly fills Gilbert’s food bowl before rushing out without eating breakfast, making sure to grab his car keys.

 

Another day of slaving away for the DPD.

 

* * *

 

7:32 AM

Android Graveyard

 

Once the smell of burning plastic begins to show its prominence, Gavin knows he’s heading in the right direction. The man shudders when he sees the mounds of dead androids, all stacked up one on top of the other. He’s not even that close, yet he could already see the plethora of police cars and reporters trying to get a piece of the action. Gavin silently curses when he sees an old 1980’s Ford Cortella.

 

“Fuck, Hank’s here,” which means Detective Ken Doll was also here. Gavin parallel parks between two cars before getting out of his own vehicle.

 

The morning fog began to subside a bit when the sun came out, but that didn’t make the garbage dump any less creepy. Dead androids littered the entire place. Despite androids gaining their freedom several months ago, CyberLife has done nothing to give these bodies a proper burial, (or at least made no attempt to recycle them).

 

This place is Detroit’s giant elephant in the room; not even the androids over at Jericho want to talk about this place until they secure the peace between humans and androids permanently.

 

Gavin musters up the courage to slip by the crowd of people attempting to report the incident, not hesitating to scream a bunch of curses at these nosy individuals.

 

“Excuse me, sir! What time was the body discovered?!”

 

“Were there any witnesses to the murder?”

 

“Has Michigan State University dean Keller made any comments?”

 

Hank Anderson sighs, his patience already wearing thin, “No comment, everyone, just let the guys in blue take care of this, alright?” And with that, Hank turns away from the vocal crowd to go back and check on Connor.

 

Hank remembers his initial reaction to seeing the body for the first time and he had to will himself not to vomit on the spot. He shudders at the memory. Chris had warned him that the scene was graphic, but Hank never expected _this_.

 

The body lays on top of a mound of androids, dried blood on her body and clothes. Her stomach is completely gutted, the large and small intestines spilling out of her, hanging like party favors. There was one thing that made the body look frighteningly creepy though…

 

Her eyes were stolen.

 

Even Connor needed to take a moment to look away from the scene. It looked almost… perverse.

 

Connor has seen some graphic human on android violence in the past, but it’s so unnerving to see a human like her completely mutilated…

 

Gavin finally makes his way through the crowd, and the first thing he does is cover his nose,

 

“Holy fuck, it smells like shit out here!” Gavin complains, holding his nose as he looks for the body. Before Gavin can head over to the crime scene, a disheveled looking policewoman stops him,

 

“Gavin, wait!” the policewoman warns, grabbing his shoulder so she could get his attention,

 

“Tina? What the fuck do you want, now? The crime scene is that way,” Gavin points sarcastically. Tina doesn’t call out Gavin for his rudeness and looks at him seriously, which is unusual for her.

 

“Gav, I think you’re gonna wanna sit down for this…” Chen warns, guiding the confused detective to the crime scene. Tina gestures to the body, displeasure on her usually loose features. Gavin’s eyes don’t register who it is right away, but when he gets a closer look his stomach is tied in knots. Horror flashes on his face, and he covers his mouth in disbelief,

 

“Oh my god… No…” Gavin gasps shakily, not believing who’s on the floor sprawled out in such a horrific fashion.

 

“Gavin, I’m so sorry…” Tina offers her sympathies, patting the young detective on the shoulder.

 

Anger flares within Gavin, boiling red hot, as he saunters his way to the body to take a closer look. Beside him, Connor is analyzing the scene, trying to find anything that could be of use to find the killer. Connor stands up, and immediately takes note of Detective Reed’s angry disposition.

 

“The victim’s name is-”

 

“Maria Alex Rose. Age 25. Detroit resident and a student attending Michigan State University,” Gavin bites out, rage present in every sentence.

 

Connor raises a curious eyebrow and looks directly at the emotional detective, “you knew her?” The android investigator asks in genuine surprise. The detective grabs Connor’s collar, eyes glassy.

 

“SHE WAS MY FUCKING NEIGHBOR YOU TOASTER OVEN!” Gavin seethes arm raised and ready to beat the android senseless before Chris steps in to quell the situation.

 

 

“Gavin, calm the hell down! We’re in front of the fucking reporters for God’s sake!” Chris steps in to pull Gavin back, making sure he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret. Gavin stares at Chris with blurry eyes, and scoffs before turning to members of the DPD Forensics Team,

 

“I want a full forensics report by noon! Tincan, what can you tell me about the corpse?” Gavin questions coolly, determination outweighing his blind anger.

 

Connor straightens his collar before addressing the detective’s question,

“The murder did not take place here. Evidence suggests she was brought here post-mortem,”

 

“No shit robo-sherlock,”

 

“There are hand markings and lacerations on her throat and neck area, implying signs of a struggle. No fingerprints, so it’s likely that the killer wore latex gloves,”

 

“Or it was an android,” Gavin snarled, considering the possibility despite his best efforts not to. He didn’t want to imagine his ~~only~~ friend outside of work being killed by one of those things.

 

Connor is tempted to roll his eyes at the detective’s crass assumption, but instead, he addresses his concern, “Neither Maria nor her family has any records of having owned an android prior to the revolution. Not only that, but Mrs. Rose was known for being an avid supporter of the revolution at her school’s campus. There’s no reason for an android to hold a grudge against her,” Connor speculates, though the more he thought about it, Gavin’s theory could not be completely ruled out.

 

With the dumpsite being here, gaining samples has been difficult, to say the least. The thirium present in some of these androids mixed with the corpse’s bodily fluids, and over a course of a few days, the body became bloated due to the early spring showers on Sunday.

 

If the killer’s motive was to stay hidden, then placing the corpse here was definitely a calculated move, rather than anything too symbolic in the killer’s MO.

 

“The killer dissected her alive, judging by the condition of her internal organs and the amount of blood loss she suffered. She sustained two bullet wounds on both her kneecaps, most likely to render her immobile as she ran. Unfortunately, I cannot reconstruct the murder since she was not killed here, but I already analyzed the bullets and they come from a Beretta 92, a military model semi-automatic firearm.”

 

Gavin sighs sadly, perturbed by the whole case. This was quickly becoming a shitty day. “She went out fighting, just as she would have. Fuck man…” Gavin palms his forehead, a headache threatening to take over.

 

Connor gives Detective Reed a pitying look, sympathy in his eyes “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

 

“Fuck you! I don’t need your fake pity, you plastic wastebasket!” Gavin says coldly.

 

“Watch your mouth, Reed! I don’t wanna have to report you for disciplinary issues, _again._ ” Hank yells from across the two, having arrived after discussing with Chris.

 

Before Gavin could argue any further with the Lieutenant and his android partner, Lieutenant Anderson’s phone rings.

 

Hank talks on the phone for a few seconds before hanging up promptly, “Fowler wants to meet us at the station, he says we can call it in,”

 

“ _Fuck no_! I wanna kill the bastard who did this to her! We can’t just call it in, what if we missed something?!” Gavin protests, acting like he was back at the DPD police academy.

 

“Look, Reed. I’m sorry for your loss, but we won’t get anything else out here, so shut the fuck up and do as I say!” Hank barks, all the patience he had left leaving him instantly.

 

“I don’t take orders from you, _Anderson_!” Gavin squares up, ready to fight until Connor steps in front of the detective, giving him a warning glace.

 

“I suggest you do what Lieutenant Anderson says, or else you may find yourself in an unpleasant situation,” Connor scolds with a cold gaze, the now deviant no longer allowing Gavin to step on everyone he hates or disagrees with.

 

Gavin wants to let out his pent up anger as much as the next emotional douchebag, but then he remembers the time Connor knocked him out in the evidence room months prior and decides he must pick and choose his battles.

 

Accepting defeat, Gavin strides away from the two individuals. He’s not ready to call it in, but he silently promises to find out who the fuck killed that girl.

 

Maria was his neighbor, but she was probably the only person besides Tina and Chris that he even remotely tolerated. She moved into his apartment complex two years ago after she moved away from her parent’s house, and lo and behold she moved next to Gavin’s room. She would always watch Gil when he went to work when he was involved in strict over time, more than happy to get a few extra bucks for her tuition costs. She had moved back to campus after Christmas, so Gavin was more than happy to return the favor and “house sit” her place a bit until she came back. He was expecting her today, but…

 

Gavin sighs, not wanting to dwell on it. He could grieve later, right now he needs to head back to the station and discuss this unforeseen event with his boss.

 

He wasn’t looking forward to it.

 

* * *

 

 

8:56 AM

Detroit Police Department 

 

The ride back to the DPD was nightmarish due to the onset of early morning traffic that Detroit is known for.

 

When he arrived back, the first thing he did was go straight to Fowler’s office, and funnily enough, Connor, Hank, and Chris were already inside. It seems like they only just entered because Captain Fowler did not go into details about the case yet. Gavin slouches in between Hank and Chris, so he doesn’t have to stand next to the plastic toy bot, as he would have called it.

 

“Alright, as you all know, this case has proved to become more than just a simple murder. The corpse’s dumpsite and display have caused people around the city to spread rumors about the possibility of an android serial killer. Now, this is not confirmed, but it’s enough to move the case to top priority. With tensions high enough as it is, and the government already on high alert, the last thing we need is for humans to get angsty,” Fowler pauses, moving his gaze to Detective Reed,

 

“Detective Reed, you knew the victim, so I'm reluctant to let you stay on the case...” Fowler admitted, contemplating whether he should let the hot-headed detective investigate her murder or not. 

 

Gavin glares daggers at the captain, already knowing exactly what he's going to say, "You can forget it old man, I'm not dropping the case! I know what you're thinking, but I fucking owe it to her that I find this asshole," Gavin protests angrily, watching the man's eyes narrow in quiet thought. 

 

The captain looks at Gavin's eyes and sees a fiery determination in them. It doesn't seem like he's going to let up. Fowler knew they were neighbors, but they weren't close on a family or lover's level. Maybe the detective could handle it? Fowler sighs long and hard. He's going to regret this in more ways than one, but Reed is one of the best detectives in the precinct, so some rules need to be broken he supposes. 

 

 "Alright, alright fine! I'll let you stay on the case on ONE FUCKING CONDITION! You will go with Connor to investigate Maria’s murder for the remainder of this week. It’s imperative you put your differences aside and find this motherfucker before he strikes again," Fowler asserts, despite Gavin's horror-filled expression at the idea of working with the android. 

 

“WHAT?! NO FUCKING WAY! Why can’t I be paired with Chris like I always am?!”

 

“Yeah Fowler, that’s fucking nuts, Gavin can’t work with Connor, he’s my partner!” Hank agrees, not wanting Connor to feel uncomfortable around the prick.

 

“I’m staying out of this,” Chris backs up,

 

Fowler facepalms frustratedly, knowing deep down that, of course, Hank and Gavin would disagree to the arrangement.

 

“Connor is capable of reconstructing murder scenes the exact way it happened, which is a surefire way to figure out whether the killer is a human or an android. Gavin needs to be with Connor because he may offer some insight as to how the victim’s last moments were like. This is non-negotiable, everyone. Hank, you’ll be with Chris to supervise the autopsy and forensics until we can have a clear understanding of what happened to Maria Rose.” Fowler continued.

 

Connor’s LED whirrs a steady yellow-blue, most likely processing the information he’s receiving. To be honest, Connor would prefer to work with Lieutenant Anderson over anybody, but he could not deny the captain’s reasoning. If Gavin truly knew Mrs. Rose on a friendship basis, then it’s the best thing for the investigative team that Gavin works with him, so long as he’s had a fair amount of time to grieve her loss.

 

Gavin is fighting a man vs man battle over whether or not he could handle this case. He hasn’t even had time to grieve, but if he could catch the guy that did this and prevent more murders than he could get some semblance of closure for Maria’s family. It was the least he could do.

 

Gavin nods silently before stomping his way out of the Captain’s office, leaving Chirs, Hank, and Connor behind.

 

Connor watches Gavin, noting that the detective has gone straight towards the men’s bathroom.


End file.
